School Counselor/Guidance Coordinator
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the direction of the building principal, the school counselor plans and provides for appropriate services for students. The school counselor provides an atmosphere and environment conducive to the intellectual, physical, social and emotional development of all students. The school counselor monitors and evaluates student outcomes and communicates and interacts with students, parents, staff and community. The school counselor develops, selects and modifies guidance lessons and materials to meet the needs of all students.
ESSENTIAL TASKS:
These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.
- Coordinates and provides leadership to the school counseling center.
- Provide services to students in the areas of academic, personal/social, and career development.
- Counsel students individually and in small groups.
- Serve as a resource for school personnel and parents.
- Encourage teacher/parent communication and community involvement.
- Refer students to appropriate school personnel and community agencies.
- Conduct classroom guidance activities.
- Review and interpret student records and school data frequently to ensure that the school counseling program is meeting the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students.
- Prepare reports, records, lists and all other required information and data.
- Maintain a variety of files/records and departmental library of supplementary and reference materials.
- Submit monthly time and task reports electronically.
- Refer students to intervention/remediation programs; as well as, academic and alternative programs to ensure academic success and personal well-being.
- Assist students in conflict resolution.
- Participate as a member of the school crisis team.
- Serve all students, but is specifically responsible for students assigned to the counselor’s caseload.
- Participate in meetings (Child Study, IEP Meetings, Parent/Teacher Conferences, etc).
- Attend division-wide school counselor meetings.
- Participate in professional development activities.
- Participate in departmental school counseling activities.
- Participate in counselor related school/division activities (graduation, college night, etc).
- Case manage Section 504 and coordinate/facilitate all required meetings.
- Assist with testing.
- Expose students to career exploration and interest inventories.
- Assist students with developing their Academic Career Plan, including the selection of appropriate courses that support the desired pathway
- Assist students with meeting graduation requirements.
- Inform students of post-secondary options.
- Promote and support students in the scholarship application process.
- Provide informational sessions about financial aid services for post secondary education.
- Assist students with the college application process (transcripts, essays, letters of recommendation, resume, college fair opportunities, etc).
- Inform students about the importance of extracurricular activities.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of counseling theories and skills, group dynamics, and small group processes; extensive knowledge of K-12 child and multicultural development; demonstrates working knowledge of the ASCA Model; knowledge of K-12 instructional programs; knowledge of Virginia Standards of Learning; working knowledge of the juvenile justice system and laws that apply to juveniles; thorough knowledge of local, state and federal standards; demonstrates considerable knowledge of FERPA, IDEA, McKinney-Vento Act, ESL and laws concerning student rights and confidentiality, as well as, other state and federal mandates; working knowledge of student database systems; thorough knowledge of standardized testing and procedures and interpretation of scores; working knowledge of gifted and special education programs; knowledge of promotion and retention requirements; excellent oral and written communication and human relations skills; ability to work with administrators, colleagues, central office and school based staff, students, parents and community.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Master’s Degree from an approved school counselor education program; or endorsement in
school counseling with Virginia certification in school counseling.
A comparable amount of training and experience may be substituted for the minimum qualifications.